The *ist DS was my first digital camera. I used my M-series lenses on it too. It metered very well with the K and M lenses at all apertures. I remember getting the K10D when it came out and the metering with that and subsequent models was very hit and miss with legacy glass due to a new "bright" focus screen design. There was quite a hullabaloo in all the forums over this at the time.

Oh we are going to be spoiled !

Thanks very much Nigel. I did see the SL2 mode references in the manual, but couldn't make very much sense out of it.

Appreciate your help.

I have now got a AF540 II in addition to my AF360, so I have been practicing with wireless flash on my K1. All going well with P-TTL.

So I thought I would try manual flash control. Neither the 360 nor the 540 will accept the setting of Wireless-Manual together with Master or Control. The 540 will not give you any option other than Slave, and on the 360 (older version with the buttons) if you move the slider out of slave setting to master or control the mode immediately changes to P-TTL

So is the correct way to proceed to use the off-camera flash in Manual-Slave mode, and the on-camera flash in PTTL Master/control mode ?

Or am I missing something very basic.

I got lucky on ebay last week and bought a Super A + Takumar macro zoom for £36. I will be lucky to get a fiver for the zoom, but the Super A is... well.... just super. Apart from a missing cover for the winder connection on the baseplate, it looks like it was unboxed yesterday. Absolutely mint. Works like a dream too. I have always wanted a Super A and am over the moon with this.

keep looking George, there is one out there somewhere with your name on it.

Haha, that was my first thought too. Great set.

Hi Nigel, thanks for the response. Yes I am reading the 2nd edition.

Thanks for clarifying that. Despite being a photographer for many years I have never really got to grips with sophisticated flash use. This is going to be my mission this year! I am now using a K1 which has no built-in flash and a AF360 so I will need to get another 360/540.

I do have an older AF330 also , but I understand this is not P-TTL capable.

Stand by for more questions.

I am reading Nigel's flash guide and the world of flash is beginning to get less opaque. But I am confused by the Pentax flashguns (AF 360/540) "contrast control" setting, and the "flash output adjustment (ratio) setting.

My understanding from Nigel's guide: If I mount one AF360/540 on camera as Master and use another 360/540 as slave, I can use the "flash output adjustment" (ratio) setting to have one flash produce 1/3 of the total calculated exposure and the other produce 2/3.

The manuals for The K1 and the AF360 refer to the "contrast control" sync setting on the flashgun saying that if two flashguns are used , you can set one of them to "contrast control" sync, and the output will be a ratio of 1:2 with the gun with the setting on producing twice as much power as the other.

These two scenarios both produce the same result, or am I missing something? If I use the "flash output adjustment" setting do I need to set the "contrast control" sync switch on one flashgun? And if not, what exactly is it's function?

On the flip side, selling old equipment on ebay is a breeze. The majority of my recent sales have gone to Italy.

Great and imaginative shot.